Eastener for adjoining sheets or plates



May 27, 1947. W. JUNG EASTENER FOR ADJOINING SHEETS 0R PLATES Filed Sept. 1945 Patented May 27, 1947 UNITED STATES s prirent-'r` oFF-ice 3Claims. 1

This invention relates tothe patentecla'ss of Metallic building structures in the sub-class Clips or fasteners, and includes improvements over certain devices known to the inventor tobe inpublic use and to involve needless expense of material in manufacture'and of time in installing thedevices; so, to facilitate an understanding of the advantageous differences between the present invention and some of the inventions above referred to, reference is now made to page 3921, Fig. VIII, in a recent issue of Aircraft Engine Maintenance also to a pictorial advertisement of Shakeproof Cowl Fasteners; both in the le of applicants attorney in readiness to file as exhibits if required or permitted by the Patent Oce', both of these prior devices being such as to require extrinsic securing means such as screws and bolts or rivets, and drilled or punched holes for receiving such fasteners; whereas, no such extrinsic fasteners and no holes therefor are needed in the present invention wherein the fastening means is intrinsic or inherent.

As a comprehensive title forl this invention I have chosen to call it an improved Fastener and unfastener for adjoining sheets o1' plates; for although it is exceedingly practical and eincient as a cowl-fastener for airplanes, its uses are by no means limited thereto.

One object of the invention is to effect a very considerable saving in material used in the manufacture of such devices, by eliminating lateral anges or ears for receiving rivets or bolts, hence, to eliminate the use of rivets, etc., and the expense thereof.

Another object is to effect a very considerable saving in man-hours and in power that would be required to bore or punch holes for rivets, etc., to place the rivets in the holes and to require two workmen for holding and hammering the rivets.

Another object is to provide several forms of the invention, in wire and in sheet metal, including an interchangeable feature, so that where the sheets or plates are formed for use with any one of these forms or embodiments, any other of these forms may be substituted therefor without considerable change in the construction of the two sheets or plates being fastened together.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in the following details of description, in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is top plan view of an integral springmember of the device or combination that constitutes one embodiment of this invention.

Figa 2 isa bottomplan view.. oil the combination mentionedi above.. and also. shown. in. partiti Figs. 3.l and14.

Figi. 3i is. a view partly in* verticali section along 5 the. line; 3L3x of Fig. 2,. the, positions of parts of said'` integral springemem-ber thatJ have been. cut away being indicated irr dot-dash. lines, the same being true of the; screw-headed catch-member..

Fig. Lt is a horizontal.sectionalview taken alongv the. linev 4.-4: offFi-g. 3j, as; viewed from beneath.

Fig. 5. av sectional view similar to Fig.4 3, but showing; a modification in which the integral spring-member is. formed of sheet metal Or. the like.. viz., of anyI appropriate material that; has the needed qualities of; stiffness and springiness, durability etc., the section being inthe plane. f line- 5 5. of Fig. 6.V

Fig. 6 is atop plan view ofY the` integral sturing member shown in the combination Of Fig.

Fig. 7. is a bottom plan View of another modication in which both the integral spring-mem,- berl and the catch-member are different from those in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and. 5.

Fig. 81 is av vertical sectional, view taken along the line. 8-8 of Fig. 7 and showing the catch,- member in full side-elevation.

Fig. 9 is a top plan View of the same mcdincation of the integral spring-member as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

,30. Fig. 10 is a vertical sec-tional view showing a modification wherein the integral spring-member has features similar to corresponding features in Figs. 6 and 9, also a dissimilar feature which eliminates a grommet where shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4,

5 and 8.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which, similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views, the invention is described in detail as follows:

In a broad sense, the invention resides in any one of the several forms of integral spring-members Il, Ha, IIb and llc, any one of which is useful as an element of the combination presently described and which includes several interchangeable modifications.

The wire-spring-member of Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 is formed of a single piece of wire and is formed into three alined substantially annular portions, or in a broader sense, formed with a central catch-receiving opening l2 and with springy loops I3 at opposite sides of the central opening, also with studs or stubs I4 and a substantially straight middle portion l5 which extends damtrally across the opening at a little distance therefrfim and serves as a catchngaging element for cfgaianaoi operation with a catch-member or rotary catch L6, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. The studs I4 are ends of the piece of wire bent laterally with respect to the plane in which the central opening |2 is located, and these studs project from the opposite side of the opening to that side where the element i5 is located; in other words, they project away from the plane of the element l5 and from the kplane of the arcuate elements Il that outline the opening l2.

In broad terms, the stiff spring-member lla is formed from a blank of sheet-material (preferably but not essentially metal) and its central opening (that corresponds to l2 in Fig. 1) is seen between the inner edges Ila on. which the studs are turned outward or upward, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and these studs or stubs project away from the straight catch-engaging element |5a.. The springy loops |3a functionally correspond to the loops i3 of Fig. 1.

In Figs. 7, 8 and 9, the sti spring-member I Ib is of a blank of any appropriate springy sheet material, having its opening |22) between arcuate margins Ilb and having studs hib upturned from its margins (Fig. 9). One of its springy loops is shown at |3b, and its other at I3bb where the ends of the sheet-blank are interlapped to be united by any appropriate means, or left disunited. In axial alinement with the opening 12b there is a second opening i8 that includes opposite recesses or passages |8b, and at opposite edges of this opening are provided catch-engaging elements each including a cam-like or wedge-like portion i9 and a concave seat 20, these being substantially the same as are shown in the slightly modified form of Fig. 10.

In Fig. l0, the elements Vic correspond to lla of Fig. 6, the elements idc correspond to the elements Nia and Ifb, but have the additional purpose of securing the spring-member llc to the lower plate 2|c that corresponds to the plate 2| in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8; for whereas all these lugs, stubs or studs i4 to |4c are disposed in recesses, 22 and 22e to prevent or limit turning of the spring members to llc, only the studs Hic are outwardly inclined and engage with outwardly inclined walls of the recesses 22o for also securing this spring-member llc to the lower plate of the two that are to be secured together, thus eliminating the expense of obtaining and installing'f grommets 23 which are employed to secure the spring-members to the sheets or plates 2| in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, '7 and 8.

In addition to the members and elements mentioned in the foregoing, there is an upper or outer i plate or sheet 24 having a catch-receiving opening 25 for receiving the intermediate portion of a screw-headed catch-member or rotary catch IS (Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5) or |50; (Figs. 7 and 8); Each of these members |5 and lSa is provided with a shallow annular groove 26 adjacent to its head for receiving the margin of the hole: 25 in which it is easily turnable by turning the screw-head thereof, whereas, the immediately lower part of the member i6 or luI is normally slightly larger than the` 4 action of gravitation or by other than a very strong pressure in the opposite direction from that of its insertion in said hole.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the combination of this invention consists of tWo units adapted to be fastened to one another and separated from one another, one of these units comprising a plate or sheet 2| or 2|c permanently united with a spring-member li, Ha, Hb or llc; and the other unit comprising the plate 2d and the catch-member I6 or |50, permanently secured to one another; these two units being secured to one another by the slightly different means shown in the modified forms, viz., in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, the catch-member I5 is placed with its middle portion extending through the eyelet or grommet 23 or 23a when in such position that its bifurcated lower end straddles the element l5 or Ilia, and then the user turns the screw-head of the catchmember l5 clockwise, thereby causing the catchelements 21 to slide under the springy catchengaging element l5 or 15a until the latter comes to rest in the depressed seat 2B when the rotary movement of this catch member l5 has continued through substantially 90 degrees, to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, wherein the plates 2| and 2li are not only securely but removably or separably fastened to one another, and it is only necessary to reverse the rotation of the catch-member to the position shown in Fig. 5 when desired to unlatch or unlock the catch-elements 21.

The catch-member Ita is provided with radially projecting studs or catch-elements 29, and the recesses i819 and are passages for these catchelements to pass through to points near the wedge-like ele-ments I9. When the studs 29 are moved out of their seats 2|), by a contra-clockwise movement of the catch-member |511, these studs can be passed outward through the passages |8c when the rotary movement has continued through about degrees, so the sheets or plates 2| and 24 can then be separated, for passages 38 are provided in the plate 2| and 2 |c and in the grommet or swaged fastener |131).

Although these several embodiments of my invention are described specifically, I have no intention to limit my patent protection to these precise details, for the invention is susceptible of numerous changes within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied-and claimed.

I claim the following as my invention:

1. In a spring-member of a device for fastening sheets or plates to one another, said spring-member having a central substantially circular opening and having springy loops at opposite sides of said central substantially circular opening and having a stub projecting away from a plane in which the marginal elements of the central opening lie, said stub being insertable into a lateral recess of a catch-receiving opening in one of said sheets or plates for preventing undue rotary movement of said spring-member with respect to said one of the sheets or plates, said spring-member including a catch-engaging element that is yieldingly supported by said springy loops and is spaced from said central opening so as to be movable toward and from said central opening when cooperating with a catch of the type described, said catch-engaging element being at least partly across said central opening and disposed substantially along a diametral line of the latter. i

2. In the spring-member dened by claim 1, said springy piece of metal or the like being a length of wire Whose end portions comprise said marginal elements around the central opening and Whose middle part crosses said opening and constitutes said catch-engaging element, and said stub being turned laterally from one of said endportions of the length of wire.

3. In combination with the spring-member dened in claim 1, a sheet or plate havingl an opening therethrough for receiving a rotary catch for cooperation with said catch-engaging element in securing this sheet or plate to another sheet or plate, and means engaged with the margin of the last-said opening and cooperative with said stub for xedly securing said spring-member to the first-said sheet or plate independently of extrinsic securing means,

WILLIAM JUNG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

